The Greatest Holy Leaf and the Ring

One of the Persian believers once recounted to the writer [Hand of the Cause Mr. Faizi] that when he came on pilgrimage with a group of fellow-believers, he brought along his wife who was not a Baha’i. In those days the journey to Haifa was long and difficult. Coming from Iran, they had to travel by car for days and cross a stretch of hot desert between Baghdad and Damascus. Some of the travellers, under the hardships of the journey, grew somewhat short-tempered and were rude to the Muslim woman. She was very sad at heart but did not say anything.

Then the day came when the pilgrims found themselves at the door of the Master’s house. It was the custom for the womenfolk to be led into a room where they would have the privilege of meeting the daughter of Bahá'u'lláh. But on that day, they found Khánum [the Greatest Holy Leaf] waiting expectantly outside. The pilgrims hastened to meet her. She greeted them all but was still waiting outside. Waiting for whom? Finally they saw the Muslim woman slowly approaching, full of uncertainty and concern. The Greatest Holy Leaf advanced toward her and took the woman in her arms. Then, holding her by the hand, she led her into the room and invited her to sit next to herself. When all the pilgrims had taken their seats, Khánum took off her own ring and put it on the finger of her guest of honour. This brought tears to the eyes of everyone in the room as they learned a lesson in universal love.

The husband of the Muslim woman told me that his wife did not embrace the Faith, but she would never part with the ring, and she died with the name of Khánum on her lips.

• Hand of the Cause Abu'l-Qasim Faizi (‘A Gift of Love, offered to the Greatest Holy Leaf’)

Source: A. Q. Faizi, A Gift of Love Offered to the Greatest Holy Leaf, compiled and edited by Gloria Faizi (1982), in the section on the Greatest Holy Leaf’s last years with the Guardian.

Found via the Baha'i Stories Blog (https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-lesson-in-universal-love.html).

Various. *Baha'i Stories Blog*. https://bahaistories.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-lesson-in-universal-love.html